Local leaders in High Point created the Greater High Point Food Alliance (GHPFA) to address the city's high ranking for food hardship and lack of just and sustainable food systems. The GHPFA aims to coordinate local organizations working to alleviate hunger through initiatives like neighborhood networks, food access programs, education, and urban agriculture. A two-day Food Summit in March 2016 focused on sharing best practices, developing action plans, and getting community members involved in the effort to make High Point food secure.

1. empower unify sustain
GREATER HIGH POINT FOOD ALLIANCE
2016 Food Summit

2. 1
empower unify sustain
GREATER HIGH POINT FOOD ALLIANCE
SUMMARY
High Point is ranked first in the nation for food hardship.
Local leaders created GHPFA to shift our approach from
just ending hunger to creating a community with more just
and sustainable food systems. The Executive Team created
the vision and mission statements.
VISION
GHPFA will create just and sustainable supplemental
food systems for Greater High Point by fostering unity,
developing responsibility and empowering communities.
MISSION
GHPFA will strive to coordinate and improve the
effectiveness of entities in Greater High Point focused on
alleviating hunger by creating and executing citywide and
neighborhood-focused initiatives to develop more just and
sustainable food systems.

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2016 Food Summit
Executive Director
Rev. Carl W. Vierling has served as
a leader in the private sector, the
church and non-profit organizations.
For ten years he served as a pastor
of a racially and culturally diverse
congregation where he started an
innovative food pantry that was
serving the homeless, seniors and
those struggling with hunger. Prior
to serving the church he worked
in the private sector as a Human
Resource Manager in manufacturing
before becoming the Corporate
Benefits Manager responsible for
health and welfare benefits nationally
and internationally for a major corporation. While working in the private
sector, he worked with a number of non-profits including serving as the
President of the United Way Board of Richmond County. Carl is a regular
contributor to the High Point Enterprise. He holds a Master of Arts in
Ministry from Carolina Graduate School of Divinity and is a graduate of the
University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a
Masters in Personnel and Employee Relations. Carl has received numerous
awards including the Governor’s Award by the State of North Carolina for
volunteer service while in Richmond County, the LifeWay Excellence in
Ministry Award and the Hunger Advocate of the Year Award. His greatest
joy other than being a disciple of Jesus Christ is being married to his wife,
Lisa. They have two grown children, four grandchildren and two Shih Tzus.
Latishia Bahena
Dana Bentley
Joseph Blosser
Latoya Bullock
Brittany Burton
Shannon Campbell
Wanda Dellinger
Charles Fernandez
Wendy Fuscoe
Patrick Harman
Paul Lessard
Tina Markanda
Janet Mayer
Angela McGill
Bill McKenzie
David Miller
Jerry Mingo
Karol Murks
Brian Norris
Bobby Smith
Matt Thiel
Carl Vierling
Pat Wallace
Megan Ward
Ellen Whitlock
Board Members

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Food Summit Schedule
HPU Community Center: March 18-19
Friday, March 18
8 am
• Registration
• Breakfast
• Non-Profit Fair
9 - 10:30 am
• What is Food Security 101
• General Information Session
• What does the data tell us about High
Point’s ranking
• Information on the Food Alliance
• How to get involved
• Neighborhood Network Meetings
• Three Pilot Neighborhoods:
1. West End
2. Washington St.
3. Burns Hills
• Task Force Meetings
• What are your assests and needs?
• Senior Task Force
• International Task Force
10:30 - 11:15 am
• Task Force Meetings
Noon - 1:30 pm
• Lunch is provided by Senior Resources
of Guilford
• Invocation
• Pledge
• Year in Review: What We’ve
Accomplished So Far
• Case Study in Sustainable Solutions:
Interfaith Food Shuttle with Jill Bullard
(see page 8 of the program book for
speaker bio)
2 - 4 pm
• Working Group Meetings
• Food Pantries
• Backpack Programs
• Urban Agriculture
• Food Education
Saturday, March 19
10 am - 3 pm
• Community Garden Work Day
(see page 12 in our program book for
participating gardens)
4 pm Doors Open
• Non-profit fair
• GHPFA Working Group and
Neighborhoods Poster Fair
4:30 - 6 pm
• Welcome
• Invocation
• Pledge
• Year in Review
• Introduction of Speakers (see pages
7-10 of the program book for
information on our speakers)
• From Grassroots to Capitol Hill:
Solutions for a Food Secure High Point
• Presentation of GHPFA Action Steps for
2016
• Awards
• Food Security Advocate of the Year
• Neighborhood Partner of the Year
• Non-profit Partner of the Year
• Benediction
6 - 6:30 PM
• Non-profit fair
• GHPFA Working Group and
Neighborhoods Poster FairWW

5. 4
What is a Food Desert?
Food deserts are areas where access to affordable, healthy
food is limited because grocery stores are more than a mile
away.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
says that Food security exists when all people, at all times,
have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe
and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active and healthy life.
High Point has seven food deserts.
Please see maps below

6. 5
Facts About Hunger
in High Point
> North Carolina is ranked fourth most food insecure in
the nation
> The Greensboro/High Point area is ranked first in the
nation for food harship
> Greensboro/High Point MSA ranks fourth in the nation
for food insecurity, with Winston-Salem ranked as the
third worst in the nation
Q: What is food hardship?
A: At some point in the last 12
months you did not have enough
money to buy food for you and
your family
24
7
19.3
Number of food deserts in
Guilford Country
Number of food deserts in
High Point
Percent of the population
in Guilford County who
are food insecure
1 of 4
children in North Carolina
are at risk for hunger

7. 6
Get Involved
Neighborhood
Networks
Food
Access
Internationals Seniors
Food
Education
Urban
Agriculture
Our focus is to bring together
neighborhood leaders, churches
and businesses to create local
strategic plans to create food secure
neighborhoods Please join us to end
hunger in your neighborhood!
Our team strives to connect all food
pantries, mobile meals, backpack
programs, hot meal programs and
other food programs. We want to
ensure food is accessible to
everyone by sharing best practices
and improving communication across
our city.
We are a task force that includes
non-profits, social groups, religious
organizations and individuals who
represent our diverse international
population in High Point. We use the
strengths the international community
has to create understanding and
community as we all work to make
High Point food secure.
The Senior Task Force goal is to
increase Senior food security by
focusing on educating our seniors
on how to increase their access to
food and increase their knowledge of
utilizing their food resources to the
individual’s maximum benefit.
Our team strives to create a more
educated community. We are
creating and providing resources to
agencies about cooking on a budget,
doing cooking demonstrations and
healthy eating.
Our team’s task is to encourage the
growth of gardening in High Point.
We are interested in connecting
people and providing resources
to develop individual gardens,
community gardens, food parks
and social entrepreneurship
opportunities.
To support the Greater High Point Food Alliance go to www.ghpfa.org

8. 7
Speakers
US Congressman Mark Walker
Congressman Mark Walker represents North Carolina’s Sixth
Congressional District. The district is comprised of portions of
Guilford, Alamance, Durham, Granville and Orange Counties
and all of Caswell, Person, Rockingham, Stokes and Surry
Counties. Congressman Walker is currently serving his first term
in Congress and serves on the House Committees on Oversight
and Government Reform, Homeland Security and Administration.
Prior to being elected, Congressman Walker served as the Pastor
of Worship and Music for Lawndale Baptist Church in Greensboro,
NC. Before ministry, Congressman Walker worked in sales and as
a manager for a local small business. Congressman Walker earned
a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Piedmont International University
in 1999. He and his wife, Kelly, a flight trauma nurse, reside in
Greensboro with their three children.

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Speakers
Jill Bullard
Jill is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle,
a nationally recognized food rescue organization serving the
central area of North Carolina. The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s first
operations were out of Jill’s house, with freezers filling the garage
and paperwork filling the dining room table. She has overseen its
growth from a small grass roots movement to a driving force in the
fight against hunger, currently employing a fleet of 16 refrigerated
trucks, a staff of 45 and a workforce of 4,500 volunteers. The
Food Shuttle’s hunger relief programs include the recovery and
distribution of fresh foods, job training for the underemployed,
nutrition education for low-income individuals and families,
community gardens and farms, BackPack Buddies to ensure
childhood food security and more.

10. 9
Speakers
Rev. Deon Parker
Pastor Deon was born in the state of Michigan. He is a 2004
graduate of Piedmont Baptist College (now Piedmont International
University) in Winston-Salem, NC. In addition to serving as a Senior
Pastor, Pastor Deon has served as an Associate Pastor, Church
Planting Missionary, Christian School Teacher, Music Leader, Sports
Program Director, Rescue Mission Chaplain and Sports Chaplain.
Pastor Deon has been married to his wife Julie since 2001. They
have four children. Pastor Deon’s interests include reading, writing,
watching movies, listening to music and watching sports.

11. 10
Speakers
J. Carlvena Foster
J. Carlvena Foster is a native High Pointer. She graduated as
part of the last class from the historic William Penn High School,
Class of 1968. She earned a B.S. Degree in Business Management
from Shaw University, a Master of Science Degree in Public
Administration from High Point University and is finishing a Doctoral
Degree in Educational Leadership. Mrs. Foster serves as Vice
President of District Operations for the Carl Chavis Memorial Branch
YMCA where she has been employed for over 15 years. She was
elected to the Guilford County Board of Education, representing
District 1 in 2008, and now serves the citizens as a member of
the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. Highlights of her
career include being selected to receive the McDonald’s Award for
Community Service in the Triad in 2003 and selected to receive the
Carl Chavis YMCA’s 2014 Minority Achiever’s Legacy Award. She is
married to Otis Foster, has two children and one granddaughter.
Her favorite scripture is, “I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me,” and she lives each day believing that if she can
help somebody along the way, then her living is not in vain.

12. 11
High Point Food Finder
The High Point Food Finder app was created in
partnership with Small Footprint, Inc. and funded with
a grant from the High Point Community Foundation.
Get it FREE!
For more information visit www.ghpfa.org

13. 12
Community Gardens

14. 13
Special Thanks To:
Happy Rentz Inc.

15. 14
See the Chefs compete to
become the next King!
DATE: April 5th
TIME: 7 - 9pm
Location:
Centennial Station
121 S Centennial St.
High Point, NC 27260
Benefiting the
Greater High Point Food Alliance
empower unify sustain
GREATER HIGH POINT FOOD ALLIANCE

16. To support the
Greater High Point
Food Alliance go to
www.ghpfa.org
empower unify sustain
GREATER HIGH POINT FOOD ALLIANCE